Magazine Size and Group Size

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  • Mar 6, 2019
    67
    Stupid question time. I was at the range earlier and shot an outstanding 5 round group using my 5 round magazine. Followed it with a more typical 10 round group out of a 10 round magazine that had a flyer from hell on the last round - 1.1 inches low and right. I marked my mags so I can track it in the future since this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a discrepancy between magazines and accuracy. Can magazine size affect group size? Is it more likely to come up with a softer spring?
     

    python

    Active Member
    Apr 15, 2010
    600
    The weight of the gun with more rounds in it may affect how you shoot it, but once a round is in the chamber, the magazine itself is no longer in the process.
     
    Mar 6, 2019
    67
    The weight of the gun with more rounds in it may affect how you shoot it, but once a round is in the chamber, the magazine itself is no longer in the process.


    Gun was shot off a bench with bipod and rear bag. The process felt normal and didn’t feel like a push or quick grab of the trigger. I was thinking more scraping lube or rubbing the bullet as it gets chambered with a weak spring that threw off the bullet angle while in the mag. Not sure if that’s logical or possible, but that’s how my mind works sometimes.

    I'd be more inclined to believe the stray round was due to the gun getting hot than the magazine.


    It’s a bolt action .22 and I was shooting roughly a round every 10 seconds. This was the 15th round out of the barrel for this string. Would a varmint barrel (0.866”) take that long to heat up or get to a normal temp? Don’t hot barrels throw it high? My cold bore shots are typically slightly low. I’m used to flyers with mid range rimfire ammo but this was pretty drastic. My center fires get noticeably hot even in winter but I don’t recall feeling the same heat with rimfire so I may be thinking in the wrong temp range.
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    So you got 1 flyer in15 rounds out of a 22 bolt rifle. Why do you think the mag had anything to do with it? Jerk the trigger, something off in that round, damaged bullet, probably a dozen other possibilities, some weird difference in mags would be at the bottom of the list IMO.
     

    Lloyd

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 20, 2012
    1,106
    FEMA Camp
    I know for me it's mentally challenging to stay focus for more than five rounds...sad I know, but I am working on it. I've found with the increase cost of ammo after I fire five round string I had to wait a few seconds to get in the proper good shooter stance, even when bench shooting. I guess I have ADD or something.

    .
     
    Mar 6, 2019
    67
    So you got 1 flyer in15 rounds out of a 22 bolt rifle. Why do you think the mag had anything to do with it? Jerk the trigger, something off in that round, damaged bullet, probably a dozen other possibilities, some weird difference in mags would be at the bottom of the list IMO.


    As for the why jump to mags, the tension in my 10 rounders vary a good amount. This particular mag feels like it has a weaker spring. My other mags feel stiffer. I’ve noticed flyers more often with my 10 rounders regardless of ammo choice. It could be coincidences at times I’m paying attention. Before I burn through a bunch of ammo tuning my setup, I wanted to see what MDS had to say. Consensus so far looks like it shouldn’t be related.
     
    Mar 6, 2019
    67
    I know for me it's mentally challenging to stay focus for more than five rounds...sad I know, but I am working on it. I've found with the increase cost of ammo after I fire five round string I had to wait a few seconds to get in the proper good shooter stance, even when bench shooting. I guess I have ADD or something.

    .



    I like trying to match 5 and 10 round group sizes as best I can. I’ll get tunnel vision and shoot for 30 minutes straight. I was trying to share the wealth and only order a brick at a time, but even 22LR is getting scarce. I might have to just start plinking instead of shooting groups.
     

    Art3

    Eqinsu Ocha
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 30, 2015
    13,267
    Harford County
    I'd tend to agree with alucard that there are a lot of other more likely variables, especially with such a small sample size. If this mag does it frequently, and always with the last round, you may be on to something. Maybe something is weird with the follower or at the bottom of the magazine that is boogering up the bullet somehow.

    Unless you are shooting some kind of premium match ammo, I would chalk 1 flyer out of 15 rounds of .22lr up to "Rimfire," and, "It happens."
     

    Lloyd

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 20, 2012
    1,106
    FEMA Camp
    I like trying to match 5 and 10 round group sizes as best I can. I’ll get tunnel vision and shoot for 30 minutes straight. I was trying to share the wealth and only order a brick at a time, but even 22LR is getting scarce. I might have to just start plinking instead of shooting groups.

    That would be an awesome mental exercise. I applaud it. And I commend you for not ammo hogging but I guess now we all are wishing we had stacked it a little deeper back in the good days, even if we already have enough to make an enticing CNN headline.

    I also find at times my vision's performance, even with glasses, deteriorates quickly after five rounds. I guess I'm soup samich.


    .
     
    Mar 6, 2019
    67
    How far are you shooting OP? It's no easy task to put 10 really good shots together.



    50 yard groups for measuring the abilities of me and my rifle. I wouldn’t say I put together 10 really good shots, more like 10 decent shots. As long as I’m sub MOA with 10 I’m happy. <0.5” at 50 isn’t too tall an ask for mid range ammo off a bench. Starting to plink at 100 so I can learn to read wind better. That’s really tough for me right now.
     

    K31

    "Part of that Ultra MAGA Crowd"
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 15, 2006
    35,632
    AA county
    I think my all around shooting considerably improved when I started shooting a muzzleloader. So yeah, I tend to believe that more rounds in a string = less accuracy.

    This also reminds me of a story a member here told me that has more to do with the first round in a mag instead of the last.

    He was going around to various LEO departments with a Glock representative. One of the things the representative would ask a group of assembled LEOs to do was to eject the first round in their service weapons. He said that some of the results were mindblowing. Bullets barely hanging in the case from being cycled maybe daily without being replaced.
     

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